Rajma chawal is Sunday lunch across northern India, and the argument is only ever about whose mother makes it best.

The beans do most of the work. Cooked properly they thicken their own gravy without any help.

Soak overnight, boil hard for ten minutes, then simmer slowly with onion, tomato, ginger and garlic until the sauce clings to the spoon. Serve over plain rice with sliced onion. Make extra, because it improves overnight.

Available at Curry Corner, North Melbourne.